10 Ways To Deal When You're Being Bullied

You shouldn’t have to feel alone.

It can be really hard to talk about what you’re going through when you’re being bullied. I was bullied for 8 years and it wasn’t until I started writing my book The Survival Guide to Bullying that I realized how important it was to not go through bullying alone.

So if you’re being bullied and you have a hard time figuring out who to go to and how to talk to someone, you’re totally not alone!

Here are 10 tips on getting help that come straight from my book.

1. Create a Top 5 list of people you love and trust. Go to these people one by one and tell them exactly what you’re going through. Ask them for help and guidance. If no one helps you, create a Top 10 list. Be persistent. Someone will help you.

2. Pick the teacher you trust most and ask to speak with them after class. Spill your heart to them and discuss your troubles. Ask them for help. Finding an ally in a teacher is so helpful.

3. Seek out the school guidance counselor. The guidance counselor at your school is used to helping people who are going through all sorts of issues whether it’s bullying, coming out, peer pressure, etc… So set up a meeting with them! Try having a frank conversation and see what comes of it.

4. Have a chat with your parents. This always seemed so scary, but it works really well. Schedule a time where you and your parents can sit down and talk. Make sure there’s enough time and no one is stressed out. Tell them what’s going on and ask for their help.

5. Surround yourself with people who treat you wonderfully. You know the people who make you feel bad about yourself? It’s time to cut them out of your life. Being friends with people who treat you the way you deserve to be treated will increase your happiness and confidence. Ask your true friends to help you through this rough time.

6. Think about therapy. Going to therapy doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with you. Your therapist is someone you can vent to. He/she can also give you unbiased advice. Therapy is an awesome outlet because whatever you say to your therapist is confidential. It’s a great place to be unfiltered and spill your feelings.

7. Join a youth program or youth center. Every community has one of these! These can be really fun and also very helpful. Very often, a bunch of teens gather and talk about a variety of issues. Not only can it be a great place to vent and get advice, but you might also meet some really cool people! So do some digging on the internet and find a few options in the town you live in.

8. Find some hobbies. Whether you like sports, painting, books, or art — your community probably offers different activities for teens after school. So ask around and do some research. Find a few after-school hobbies you enjoy and join the team/club/group! Not only will you have fun, but you’ll also start to build a network of really great people who you can have fun with and go to for help.

9. Create an online life — safely. It can be really fun and very helpful to create an online life. Start a blog, YouTube, Instagram, etc… You can even bond with other teens who are going through similar issues. But be safe and don’t put your private information on the internet. And always be careful when it comes to meeting someone in person that you don’t know.

10. Hotlines, hotlines, hotlines. They are super useful, free, and confidential. And there are ENDLESS options! I love The Trevor Project because they offer options to call, text, or chat! You get to speak to professionals about your problems and get their expertise.